most republicans have insisted that with the government facing another trillion dollar deficit this year, any increase in borrowing authority must be tied to cuts in spending. the president flatly disagreed. >> i want to be clear about this. the debt ceiling is not a question of authorizing more spending. so while i'm willing to compromise and find common ground over how to reduce our deficits, america cannot afford another debate with this congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they've already racked up. >> brown: the 2011 stand-off between the president and republicans over the debt ceiling led the nation to the bryning of national default. standard and poors even lowered its rating on u.s. government bonds. today, president obama said any repeat performance would be, quote, irresponsible. >> if the goal is to make sure that we are being responsible about our debt and our deficit, if that's the conversation we're having, i'm happy to have that conversation. what i will not do is to have that negotiation with a gun at the head of the american people. >> brown: at the sa